Machine for disintegrating ice and packed snow on roadways



June 18, 1963 M. YETTER 3,094,315

MACHINE FOR DISINTEGRATING ICE AND PACKED SNOW 0N ROADWAY Filed Nov. 20. 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2 36 FIGI h 1 Q N I I T 37 H l7 l4 I5 INVENTOR. H62 MARK YETTER BY A ATTORNEY Juae 18, 1963 M. YETTER 3,094,315

MACHINE FOR DISINTEGRILTING ICE AND PACKED SNOW ON ROADWAYv Filed Nov. 20, 1961 2' Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGS I3 I9 I9 10 28 I3 .7 mum?! mm M llllfimlmlm l 20 24 3O 20 j MARK YETTER A TTORNE Y INVENTOR.

United States atent 3,094,315 MACHINE FOR DISINTEGRATING ICE AND PACKED SNOW N ROADWAYS Mark Yetter, Box 38, Meeteetse, Wyo. Filed Nov. 20, 1961, Ser. No. 153,292 1 Claim. (Cl. 262-19) This invention relates to a machine for breaking or disintegrating ice and packed snow on roadways and the like.

Conventional road or highway snow removal equipment embodies no means for effectively breaking up the crust of ice or very hard packed snow which forms on the road surface beneath the loose snow to a thickness of an inch or two and sometimes more. Conventional equipment generally embodies a scraper blade or plow which merely sweeps away the loose snow which is not packed and the hard crust of ice and/or packed snow remains to a great extent on the roadway, causing very hazardous driving conditions, sometimes even more so than had the road not been cleared at all. The passing traffic does not effect the breaking of the hard ice or snow crust and in fact further packs the same and makes the situation worse. No practical means has been devised to overcome this problem although various unsatisfactory and uneconomical means has been resorted to, including the use of salt or chemicals on the roadway with resulting well-known disadvantages including damage to automobile finishes, etc.

Accordingly, the object of this invention is to completely solve the above problem by satisfying the need for a simple and effective apparatus which may traverse the roadway and completely break up or disintegrate the ice or snow crust so that the same may be easily swept away to completely clear the roadway.

A further object is to provide a machine of the mentioned character which may be drawn behind a conventional snow plow or truck or, if preferred, may be mounted upon a motor grader or other like machine suitable for removing snow or the like from roads or highways.

Another object is to provide a packed snow and ice disintegrating machine which is rugged and durable, economical to manufacture, long-lasting and highly efficient in operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed descrip-tion.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of an ice and packed snow disintegrating machine in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a rear elevation of the machine shown in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the same,

FIGURE 4 is a similar side elevation showing roadway transport wheels in the active position for rapidly transporting the machine on a highway or the like,

FIGURE 5 is a vertical section taken substantially on line 55 of FIGURE 3,

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged central vertical section with parts in elevation through one disintegrator roller unit and sub-frame of the machine,

FIGURE 7 is a vertical section taken on line 77 of FIGURE 6,

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken on line 8-8 of FIGURE 7.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 10 designates generally a main or outer rigid frame of rectangular box-like construction and forming the support body portion of the machine and being of a suitable weight and strength to support the disintegrator wheel or roller units to be described. The main frame 10 may be formed from any suitable metal stock and comprises a top transversely elongated horizontal frame section 11 having rigidly connected transverse and longitudinal frame bars 12 and 13; a lower similar rectangular frame section 14- including horizontal transverse and longitudinal frame bars 15 and 16, and corner uprights 17 rigidly interconnecting the two frame sections 11 and 14, as shown.

At its forward side, the main frame 10 is equipped with a suitable rigid drawing tongue structure 18 adapted for connection with a towing vehicle such as a truck or other road clearing equipment. If preferred, according to the invention, the tongue structure 18 may be omitted and the main frame 10 may be suitably mounted upon or beneath a motor grader or like road working machine to move therewith.

With continued reference to the drawings, the main frame 10 is provided at its forward and rear sides with a plurality of pairs of spaced upright guide posts 19 or bars having their upper and lower ends rigidly secured to the transverse frame bars 12 and 15. The guide posts 19 of each pair are parallel and arranged at right angles to the horizontal frame bars 12 and 15 and each forward pair of guide posts is aligned with 'a companion pair of posts 19 on the rear side of the main or outer frame.

The machine further embodies a plurality, such as three or more, disintegrator roller or wheel units 20 for mounting upon and inside of the main frame 10 and adapted to move relative to the main frame 10 during operation as will be presently described. Each unit 20 embodies an inner or sub-frame 21 which is horizontally disposed, rigid and rectangular and of a size to fit with like sub- -frames inside of the box-like main frame 10. Each subframe 21 includes forward and rear transverse frame bars 22. and side longitudinal frame bars 23 rigid therewith.

Each disintegrator unit 20 and sub-frame 21 is floatingly secured within the main frame 10 and self-adjusting during operation of the machine in the following manner. At its forward [and rear sides, each sub-frame 21 has short horizontal trunnions 24 rigid therewith at the transverse eenter of the sub-frame. These trunnions engage pivot-ally within forward and rear slide blocks 25, adjacent the forward and rear pairs of vertical guide posts 19 and having guided engagement therewith so that the slide blocks may shift vertically relative to the posts 19 and main frame. Each slide block 25 has a corner recess 26 at each inner corner thereof, FIGURE 8, receiving slidably the upright guide posts 19. An inner cap plate 27 for each slide block 25 also receives the trunnion 24, FIGURE 7, and slidably engages the inner sides of the adjacent guide posts '19 so that the slide block 25 is keyed thereto for vertical movement and constrained from lateral movement. Each frame 21 and its trunnions 24 are bodily carried by the slide blocks 25.

Above each slide block 25 and bearing upon the same is a heavy compression spring 28, the top of which bears upon :a centering lug or projection 29, rigid with the upper main frame bars 12. The springs 28 therefore resiliently urge each frame 21 and each unit 20 downwardly toward the bottom of the outer main framev 10, but allow the units 20 to rise and fall during operation of the machine upon engagement with irregularities in the roadway.

Each unit 20 further comprises a transverse axle 30 having its ends received within openings 31 of the subframe bars 23, FIGURE 6, and pinned therein against rotation relative thereto at 32. A separate axle 30' is thus provided upon each sub frame 21 or unit 20 and the axle does not rotate during operation relative to the sub-frame 21 as shown.

Journaled for rotation upon each axle 30 is a plurality of heavy ice and packed snow disintegrator discs 33, FIG- URE 6, each such disc being relatively narrow axially compared to its diameter. The discs 33 are stacked in closed relation upon the axle 30 and between the sides 23 of the sub-frame 21. The size or diameter of the discs may vary somewhat depending upon conditions, so long as all of the discs are of like size and design on a given machine. Each disc 33 is preferably tapered as at 34 adjacent to its periphery and the periphery of each disc is quite narrow or knife-like as shown in FIGURE 6 to effect efficiently the breaking, cutting and disintegration of the hard packed snow or ice upon the roadway. If desired, each disc 33 may have a separately formed peripheral insert 35 of extremely hard material which resists wear, and this is an optional feature of the invention. The peripheries of all of the discs 23 of one unit 20 are rather closely spaced to effect complete disintegration of the ice or snow crust, and the several units 20 of the machine are closely spaced axially for the same purpose. When the machine is drawn over the roadway, FIG- URE 2, a broad area of the roadway will be treated by the machine for the complete disintegration of the ice or snow crust. As shown in FIGURE 2, by virtue of the pivotal mounting of each unit 20 upon the main frame 10, the discs may conform themselves during openation to the shape of a somewhat crowned road or the like and all of the discs of the machine will effectively engage the road. The spring mounting of the vertically shiftable slide blocks .25 enables the individual units 20 to rise and fall independently of the other units with irregularities in the roadway and this renders the entire machine more eflicien-t for breaking the ice or snow crust and prevents damaging of the road surface.

In some instances, more than the three units 20 may be employed in the machine by merely lengthening the frame 10 and adding additional disintegrator units 20 in the same manner as shown in the drawings. Likewise, the number of discs 33 on each unit 20 may be increased or decreased as found desirable, and the precise design of each disc 33 may be varied slightly for certain installations. 'For example, the degree of taper at 34 may be varied, .the thickness of the discs may be varied, and the peripheral edge of the disc may be toothed or serrated in some instances. In all cases, a large number of relatively thin discs are employed to effect the complete disintgr-ation of the ice or snow crust.

To facilitate transporting the machine at relatively high speeds on a highway, there is provided near the rear corners of the outer frame 10 a pair of transport wheel units including rubber tired wheels 36 carried by vertically swingable arms 37, pivoted at 38 to the lower longitudirlal frame bars 16. Support links 39 are pivoted at 40 to the arms 37 and adapted to have, their opposite free ends selectively secured at 41 and 42 to the main frame 10 for positioning the wheels 36in the inactive or active positions as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. Other like units may be employed to transport the machine on the highway and the simple adjustable transport wheels shown in the drawings are illustrative only and are not to be taken as limiting in connection with the invention. If desired, hydraulically operated transport wheel units may be embodied in the machine to automatically elevate the machine and lock it in the elevated position for transporting.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the subjoined claim.

I claim:

A machine for disintegrating hard packed snow and/ or ice on roadways comprising in combination a transversely elongated rigid box-like frame adapted to span a major portion of the width of a roadway, said frame including a top rectangular horizontal frame section and a bottom rectangular horizontal frame section spaced below the top frame section in underlying aligned relationship therewith, vertical corner posts rigidly interconnecting the top and bottom frame sections to form therewith said rigid box-like frame, forwardly longitudinally projecting draft tongue means rigid with the forward side of the top frame section for drawing said frame along a roadway behind a towing vehicle, transversely spaced pairs of vertical guide bars on said frame at the front and rear sides thereof, each pair having their top and bottom ends rigidly secured to said top and bottom frame sections and each pair of guide bars being parallel and spaced apart laterally and each forward pair of guide bars being aligned with a rear pair thereof on said frame, spring centering lugs on the forward and rear sides of the top frame section between each pair of said guide bars, said lugs rigid with the top frame section, vertically slidable blocks disposed between each pair of guide bars and having flanges engaging forwardly and rearwardly of the guide bars to guide said blocks vertically along said bars, compressible coil springs extending vertically between each opposed pair of said lugs and blocks and between each pair of said guide bars and resiliently urging the blocks downwardly toward the bottom frame section, the bottom frame section underlying said blocks forming a stop to positively arrest downward movement of the blocks, a plurality of generally horizontal rectangular rigid sub-frames disposed within said frame near and above the elevation of the lower frame section and corresponding in number to the pairs of guide bars on the forward and rear sides of said frame and together spanning the major portion of the transverse width of said frame, forward and rear aligned longitudinal trunnions rigid with the forward and rear sides of each sub-frame at the transverse center thereof, said blocks having through bores rotatably receiving and supporting said trunnions, whereby each sub-frame is rockable relative to said frame upon its trunnions, substantially horizontal transverse axles on the sub-frames near the longitudinal centers thereof and having their ends rigidly secured to the longitudinal sides of the sub-frames and spanning the latter transversely for their full widths, stacks of heavy closely spaced disintegrator discs journaled for free rotation upon each axle and including symmetrically tapered peripheral portions for engagement with snow or ice to cut and break up the same, said discs being circular and of uniform diameter and having their tops terminating near and below said top frame section and their bottoms projecting below the bottom frame section, each stack of discs substantially filling the lateral space between sides of each sub-frame so that the several adjacent stacks of discs span continuously the major portion of said frame and roadway transversely, said discs freely rollable along the roadway when said frame is drawn forwardly and said sub-frames and discs adapted to conform automatically to the crown shape of the roadway, a rubber tired retractable transport wheel for each side of said frame outboard thereof, an arm carrying each wheel and pivoted to one side of the bottom frame section, a pivoted suspension link on each arm, and pin suspension means on said frame selectively engageable with said links to maintain said wheels extended below said frame and discs or retracted thereabove.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 717,471 Tanner Dec. 30, 1902 735,120 Lilley Aug. 4, 1903 2,226,182 Ross Dec. 24, 1940 2,319,520 Rypkema May 18, 1943 2,400,906 Beck May 28, 194-6 2,796,712. Miller et al June 25, 1957 2,804,294 Meagher Aug. 27, 1957 

